Double safety-guard for open railway passenger-cars



No. 626,349. Patented lune 6, |899. F. STEFFENS.

DOUBLE SAFETY GUARD FOR OPEN RAILWAY PASSENGER CARS.

(Application filed Max'. 2, 1899.)

2 Sheets-Sheet l.

(No Model.)

MCLLS Ma M No. 626,349. Patented )une 6 |899.

F. STEFFENS.

DDUBLE SAFETY GUARD FR OPEN RAILWAY PASSENGER CARS.

(Applicati ooooooo r. 2, 1899.) (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

NiTnn STATES Fines..

PATENT FRED STEFFENS, OF ST. JOSEPH, MISSOURI.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 626,349, dated June 6, 1899.

Application led March 2, 1899.

To a/ZZ whom, zit may concern:

Be it known that I, FRED SrEFFnNs, a citizen of the United States,residing at St.Joseph, in the county of Buchanan and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Double Safety-Guards for Open Railway Passenger-Cars; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to safety-guards for open or summer railway passenger-cars; and the objects of my improvement are, iirst, to provide a lower as well as upper guard, thus diminishing the danger there is with a single guard of passengers crowding out under or over the guard; second, to provide a guard that can be raised and lowered with greater ease than those now in use, and, third, to provide a guard that closes the entire side, includin g platforms, being double except at rear platform. I attain these obj ects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of a car with guard down and dotted lines showing movement of guard while being raised or lowered. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of a car, showing the guard in position occupied when not in use. Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the guard when not in use in position under bracket. Fig. 4 is a view of the knuckle-joint connection; Fig. 5, a front view of the lower end of a grabhandle in connection with a casting more fully shown in Fig. 9; Fig. 6, a section view of a bracket attached under the water-table, showing pulley and cable used in raising and lowering the guard, also showing the guard when upheld in position under bracket. Fig. 7 is a section view of knuckle-joint in connection with the upper end of a grab-handle and the lower end of a grab-handle extension; Fig. 8, a perspective view of the knucklejoint, showing the stop preventing it from going beyond a perpendicular line. Fig. 9 is a cross-section showing lower casting and lower end of grab-handle in connection; Fig. l0, a perspective view of said lower casting Serial No. 707,435. (No model.)

and lower end of grab-handle; Fig. 1l, a perspective view of pulley with cable; Fig. 12, a perspective of bracket; Fig. 13, an elevation showing a spring-catch fastened to the guard and held by the bracket when the guard is not in use; Fig. 14, a perspectivel view showing the upper half of knuckle-joint; Fig. 15, a perspective of the lower half of the knuckle-joint. Fig. 16 is a perspective of a hookshaped casting for attaching on the inside of the grab-handle. Fig. 17 is a perspective of a pocket for fastening to the outside of a carpost to receive said hook, and Fig. 18 is an elevation of said hook and pocket.

Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

In my invention the rod A and grab-halb dies B B constitute a double guard. Castings C O are rigidly attached to the outside of posts of the car, the projecting ends being circular with iiat faces. The lower ends of grab-handles b b are halved, the inside being made circular to ride and turn on said casting, while the remainder works against the face of the end of casting. The upper ends of the grab-handles have extensions D D, the grab-handles andextensions being connected by knuckle-joints E E. The upper ends of extensions D D are connected with guard A by means of Tcastings H II. The upper halves of knuckle-joints E E are provided with stops e c.

To car-posts and water-tables I attach brackets K K to hold the upper guard in firm position when it is raised. There are two cables or ropes I I used in raising and lowering the guard, one fastened to the guard near its front end. This cable runs over a pulley J, fastened near the top of the front post, and is held up by guard-brackets K K. The other cable is fastened to the guard near its rear end and is run over another pulley J,.fas tened to the rear post, all of which is shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Near the rear end and upon the upper edge of the upper guard there is a spring L-to hold the guard from falling forward when up and not in use. This spring slides under the rear bracket and then flies up automatically and holds against the bracket, as shown in Fig. 13. In order to permit this, the rear bracket is set somewhat higher than the rest to allow the spring to IOO castings Will drop into pockets P P, Fig. 17,

fastened tov the car-posts near the lowerends of the 'grab-handles, thus holding the double guard when down 'firm and solid. These pockets are of such form that thehooksrill slip in and out With ease as th'e guard is' being lowered or raised. The pockets are made' openl on one.side,and therefore cannot fill with dirtN andI Will, permit the hooks to enter. the more` freely..

"This guard may be made of Wood., gas-pipe,

ormetaltubings, such as brass,orlblonzeor any suitable material, as may` be. desi-red by. thefbuilder. It will. be noticed that in. malgin g this double guard. I- use' the. grab-han d les. Bfas the4 lower., guard. The lower ends ofthesev "grabdiandlgs are fastened to. castings Ci C by, boltsJ or similar. convenient' man# nerand are made sotheywilt turn on the castings', as' shown in Figli), their construe.- tion permitting them to. make 'a quarterturn from, a perpeudicnlar'to a hbrzontalfpesiton, thus formingthe lower4 guard. The grab.- handlejextehsions, it made of-jwood, areinortispd, and tenionedi tov horizontal! rod, or. upper.. 011' dj'A. Lf. madeV of.l m.etal,'the`y will be'. .d-finto theflllshaped castings HH, as shownq in Eig, 6. Ln lowering theguard these. gl', .blindlefextensions are. carriedldowu toa. perpendicular position., as' shown.' by` dottedv lines. in' l, at the; same. time e'arryingl down the horizontat bar. or upper guaril,4 and' holdingit. aboutW twelve or.. ourteen. inches. abovefhe. lQYSelfguard, When. thej guard;` is dp tlieuppeuerds off theigrabhandles or, 1go upklej in'ts Ewill. rest. on'. louter` castin' gs. (1G, as'shoivvnjin Eig. l.. At therearend off the'upper,guardgthereisaknueklefjoint. To this knuckle-joint there is an extension S,

which hangs down, and. the lower end! of Whitt, is;fastened` by uoltto the.' hood-post. Wherethereisjnohoodfpost, this .end'maybe fastenedttotheldash er1-post. 'When the guard. is down, thislextenision.closes 4thesideof back.' platform. "Ehe guard' thus' closes. the., full? lengthoffthe oarfncludiuggboth.. platforms,"

asshennliu Eisll.

`When this double guard. isjnotin use, it.. wilhbe' ini theposition shown in. Fig'. 2, guard; A4` extending;longitudinallynear tp oi".`` car.. tli'eenti red length; of. thecar, While. gralkha'nf' dlesBB, xyhiehforyn the. lowerlguard, and. th "r extensionsjl);DJzqilLstaudv vertically at.

"Itwillgbefreadilyseen that one man, byuse i tosgclj'ireby'Letters Patent, isi- 1.- The. Genlbiueton, in ful, Open. passenger @argot they side p'ofsts and Wate'rftable, an upper rod'or guard', with extension, extending the entire length of the car and platforms, and grab-handles and extensions forming a lower guard and which, when raised, form a l supportfor the 'upperl guard, substantially as described and for the purpose specied.

2. 11n aI combination with the bodyand seats Lof 'an' open carfal grab-handle, a casting on post of car adapted to serve as rider, an exmeier. en fl e. hoek-Stare@ @Stine @attached thereto,a pocketlD on post of car to receive said hook, a'kn'ucklejoint and T-casting by which said extension is connected With grabhandle and upper guard, a bracket andspring, ztogetherwith a cable. and altnecessarypuldey's, ropes. andy bolts, substantially, de.- scrib.ed..

The. combination. in an open-passengel-.fV carguard of-a bracketabov'e tlieupperguard, a springiattached t`o guard which bylits. elas4 ticitymay be. carried` underand backof the. rear "bracket and when beyond the'l-igie. of bracket ihs'tantlyjfiies-.up and holds thefguard from. swinging forward, 'and a knuclde-joint provided with. a. stopjthat prevents thefguard from, going. back', substantially` as". specified` 4. In a doubleguar'd for open carsa grab,- handle sersingas a lowergard with thelow'er end.V thereofy halved, the. halved part being,

ar ,=h e.d, andl a' circular.cffnsting.adaptedi to be.

dle permitting, saidl grabrhahd-le. to 'revolwev from-av perpendicularjto. a horizontal.r guard` lposition, snbstan'tially as. describedY and for.

the purpose specified..

knucklefjonts. connectingisaid. gra'bfhandles,

with, saidiextensions, hooks on insidelof; grabl "hanxllef extensions.V` and: pockets; onk postsof,

Jcarto receiyesaid;hooksfbraokets under the 1 vrateiztable.and.aspringattachedtb.topedge. Qi-the. upper guard forholdingthe guardfinV `gpositionWhen up, together with all-necessary.

cbes, pulleys andbolts, substantially aide: seriloed.-

6,! Inadouble guard fonopen passenger:

ears.thetcombirationot-theuppersguard, the.

lgrabfhand-les. forniinglomer..guard, the grab.- han'dleextensons, thekl'lllcklefjoiiltsandthe `halved? lower', endsA oil gi'abvhandlefs. andi the. fside-postcastings adaptedto reoeiyelthesa'me,

5. In' adouble. safetyguardforopen. pas@ 7. 'lnadouble guardfor. open.passenger:` lc'ars, ajpocket'adapted, to havefits. baclfse;A jcluredi tof` a. cari-,post andhayingits Vfrontl and. oneend. flaringouhwardlyfand:its other. en d lopen, in combinationwith ahookadaptedto.

IOO

IIO

be rigidly attached to the inside of a grabhandle extension and to drop into said pocket as the guard descends, thus holding the double guard, when down, securely against the side of the car, substantially as specified.

8. In an open passenger-car in combination with a double guard, an extension, a knucklejoint adapted to connect one end of said eX- tension to the rear end of the upper guard, its other end connecting with the hood or dasher post, thus forming a rear-platform guard when the double guard is down and being carried to a vertical position when the guard is up, substantially as described.

9. In a double guard for open passenger FRED STEFFENS.

Witnesses:

CHAs. PETERSEN, EMMA- I-IECKEL. 

